Teatro alla Scala di Milano – C Major Entertainment

Rigoletto

Along with “Il Trovatore” and “La Traviata,” “Rigoletto” is part of the immortal triumvirate of milestone operas written by Giuseppe Verdi and premiered in the early 1850s. It has become one of the most popular operas in the entire repertory, with stupendous music for the baritone, soprano and tenor leads. The work contains such beloved numbers as “Caro nome,” Gilda’s coloratura aria; the Duke of Mantua’s famous “La donna è mobile”; and the quartet “Bella figlia dell’amore” from the third act. In this production from the early 1990s from Milan’s La Scala, Roberto Alagna sings the part of the Duke, Renato Bruson the title role and Andrea Rost the role of Gilda. The staging is by Gilbert Deflo, whose vision is supported by the distinguished set designer Ezio Frigerio and costume designer Franca Squarciapino. The aristocrat of conductors, the autocrat of the baton, Riccardo Muti cuts a noble figure at the head of any orchestra, and ennobles every ensemble through his charismatic personality and red-blooded musicality. In many respects, including his unwillingness to compromise over artistic matters, he is reminiscent of Arturo Toscanini, who was also a demanding ruler at the podium. His rise to international fame set in with his guest conductorships at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 and at the head of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1972. Muti became principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years later, and was named its music director in 1980. Always a conductor of both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Muti advanced to the post of music director of La Scala in Milan in 1986. The 1990s saw Muti consolidating his reputation at the head of this venerable institution, as well as in countless other high-caliber venues around the world. Today he is one of the undisputed giants among the leading conductors of the world.

Vivaldi, Concerto per la Solennità di San Lorenzo in C major, RV 556 (Carinthian Summer 1979)

Recorded live at the Carinthian Summer Festival on 27 August 1979, this concert features soloists from the orchestra of Milan’s Teatro alla Scala under the direction of Claudio Abbado. One of the leading conductors of our time, Abbado was music director and artistic director of the Scala until 1986 before shifting his focus to Vienna (music director of the Vienna State Opera from 1986-1991) and, later, Berlin. Since 1969, the Carinthian Summer in Ossiach, Austria, has been presenting internationally acclaimed soloists and ensembles in splendid Alpine settings. A particularly opulent venue is the Baroque monastery church of Ossiach, where this concert was filmed.

Attila

Stage director Jérôme Savary, known for his colorfully imaginative productions, staged Giuseppe Verdi’s early opera “Attila” at Milan’s La Scala in 1991. Riccardo Muti led the chorus and orchestra of the celebrated opera house, and the cast included such illustrious names as Cheryl Studer and Samuel Ramey. Giuseppe Verdi wrote altogether five operas for the renowned Teatro La Fenice in Venice. The successful collaboration documents Verdi’s ascent to the pinnacle of Italy’s opera composers in the second half of the 19th century. It began in 1844 with “Ernani” and continued two years later with “Attila.” There followed “Rigoletto” (1851), “La Traviata” (1853) and “Simone Boccanegra” (first version, 1857). The literary source of the opera is the stage play “Attila, King of the Huns” by the German dramatist Zacharias Werner. However, Verdi and his librettists were less interested in the play than in the political message: the struggle for liberation of an oppressed nation from its occupiers. As in “Nabucco” and “I Lombardi,” “Attila,” too, was intended as a signal of support for the unification of Italy (“Risorgimento”) and was enthusiastically understood as such by Italian patriots. The Roman general Ezio offers the entire world to the King of the Huns if he is allowed to keep Italy; Attila refuses and is ultimately killed by a female freedom fighter brandishing his own sword. In the following years “Attila” disappeared from the repertoires of the opera houses; Verdi’s global successes such as “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore” and “La Traviata” seemed more important to international operas houses. Only since the 1950s has the work been staged now and again – as an insider’s tip for connoisseurs, who admire the logically constructed action and, above all, the impressive music for four top singers and large chorus. In the score of Attila” one finds enchanting lyrical moments as well as rousing, highly effective passages. The aristocrat of conductors, the autocrat of the baton, Riccardo Muti cuts a noble figure at the head of any orchestra, and ennobles every ensemble through his charismatic personality and red-blooded musicality. In many respects, including his unwillingness to compromise over artistic matters, he is reminiscent of Arturo Toscanini, who was also a demanding ruler at the podium. His rise to international fame set in with his guest conductorships at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 and at the head of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1972. Muti became principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years later, and was named its music director in 1980. Always a conductor of both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Muti advanced to the post of music director of La Scala in Milan in 1986. The 1990s saw Muti consolidating his reputation at the head of this venerable institution, as well as in countless other high-caliber venues around the world. Today he is one of the undisputed giants among the leading conductors of the world.

Guillaume Tell

Gioacchino Rossini ended his career as an opera composer at the early age of 37. “Guillaume Tell” (1829), his last stage work, was commissioned by the Paris Opéra. After this Rossini would only compose a few smaller vocal and instrumental pieces. Up to then, however, he had been the most important opera composer between Mozart and Verdi. Since the 1970s, the musical world has steadily been rediscovering Rossini’s oeuvre, much of which has long vegetated in the shadow of “Il barbiere di Siviglia” or “La rentola.” His musical dramas are now frequently encountered on leading operatic stages and at renowned festivals. This Milan production of “Guglielmo Tell” was an important milestone in the Rossini Renaissance. The aristocrat of conductors, the autocrat of the baton, Riccardo Muti cuts a noble figure at the head of any orchestra, and ennobles every ensemble through his charismatic personality and red-blooded musicality. In many respects, including his unwillingness to compromise over artistic matters, he is reminiscent of Arturo Toscanini, who was also a demanding ruler at the podium. His rise to international fame set in with his guest conductorships at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 and at the head of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1972. Muti became principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years later, and was named its music director in 1980. Always a conductor of both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Muti advanced to the post of music director of La Scala in Milan in 1986. The 1990s saw Muti consolidating his reputation at the head of this venerable institution, as well as in countless other high-caliber venues around the world. Today he is one of the undisputed giants among the leading conductors of the world.

I due foscari

Giuseppe Verdi was just 31 years old when his sixth opera “I due Foscari” was given its world premiere in Rome. He was then still at the beginning of his career, which later led to his fame as Italy’s leading opera composer, and he wrote his stage works at a brisk pace: in March 1844 “Ernani” was premiered in Venice, in November came the “Due Foscari” in Rome. “Verdi is now the man of the day in the musical world,” write Heinrich Heine after the world premiere. The literary source of the opera is a drama from the history of Venice by the English poet Lord Byron (1788-1824), whose works inspired many musicians, above all in the 19th century. His “Two Foscari” is not particularly effective on the stage, but Verdi took precisely this lack of theatricalness as an occasion to bring to the stage the interpersonal conflicts through a psychological characterization of the singers. He wrote enchantingly impressive music for this opera, which never ranked among the great successes of the master; from the very beginning, it vegetated on the outskirts of the repertoire as a special insider tip among connoisseurs. “I due Foscari” was recorded in 1988 at Milan’s La Scala with Renato Bruson, Alberto Cupido and Linda Roard-Strummer in the lead roles; stage director was Pier Luigi Pizzi, the musical direction was in the hands of Gianandrea Gavazzeni, who was an outstanding personality in Italian music life of the20th century as conductor and music author.

I vespri siciliani

Verdi’s opera “I vespri siciliani” was written after “Rigoletto,” “Il Trovatore” and “La Traviata,” this triumvirate of immortal stage works. It was commissioned by the Paris Opéra and was designed to respect the French taste for large choral scenes and lengthy ballets. The libretto of the “Vêpres siciliennes” was written in verse form by Eugène Scribe and was based on a historical event from the 13th century, when Sicily rose up against the French occupiers. Verdi achieved great success with this work in 1855, and the Opéra continued its collaboration with him twelve years later by commissioning “Don Carlos.” The Italian version of the work was premiered that same year and became known throughout the world. La Scala of Milan brought out several major productions of this work, including the one recorded here in 1990. The aristocrat of conductors, the autocrat of the baton, Riccardo Muti cuts a noble figure at the head of any orchestra, and ennobles every ensemble through his charismatic personality and red-blooded musicality. In many respects, including his unwillingness to compromise over artistic matters, he is reminiscent of Arturo Toscanini, who was also a demanding ruler at the podium. His rise to international fame set in with his guest conductorships at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 and at the head of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1972. Muti became principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years later, and was named its music director in 1980. Always a conductor of both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Muti advanced to the post of music director of La Scala in Milan in 1986. The 1990s saw Muti consolidating his reputation at the head of this venerable institution, as well as in countless other high-caliber venues around the world. Today he is one of the undisputed giants among the leading conductors of the world.

La donna del lago

Giocacchino Rossini (1792-1868) is known today above all as a composer of comic operas. However, he was much more than the admittedly brilliant creator of “Il barbiere di Siviglia” and “La Cenerentola.” The intensive study of his oeuvre over the past decades has brought to light Rossini’s multi-facetedness: Rossini was an important figure and major musical precursor both in the field of opera buffa and opera seria. Following a popular trend, Rossini wrote a number of works in which the rigid boundaries between opera buffa and opera seria are blurred. One example is the romantic melodrama in two acts “La donna del lago”, which was premiered in Naples in 1819. It was based on the novel “The Lady of the Lake” by the Scottish author Sir Walter Scott. (Donizetti’s successful “Lucia di Lammermoor,” written about 15 years later, was also based on a source by Scott, who was extremely popular in Italy at that time.) It is the most romantic of all of Rossini’s operas: the beautiful Elena, the daughter of a Scottish rebel, wins the heart of the king who, without knowing her true identity, offers her a ring that ultimately helps Elena find happiness. Love, jealousy, political intrigues and royal benevolence set the accents in this melodrama, which is closely connected to the nature, forests, lakes and mountains of the Scottish highlands. Rossini’s wish to depict the Scottish spirit on the opera stage led him onto musical paths that he had never trodden before. Acclaimed movie director Werner Herzog stages this production from Milan’s La Scala. The title role is sung by the fascinating American belcanto soprano June Anderson. The aristocrat of conductors, the autocrat of the baton, Riccardo Muti cuts a noble figure at the head of any orchestra, and ennobles every ensemble through his charismatic personality and red-blooded musicality. In many respects, including his unwillingness to compromise over artistic matters, he is reminiscent of Arturo Toscanini, who was also a demanding ruler at the podium. His rise to international fame set in with his guest conductorships at the Salzburg Festival in 1971 and at the head of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra in 1972. Muti became principal guest conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra a few years later, and was named its music director in 1980. Always a conductor of both the symphonic and operatic repertoire, Muti advanced to the post of music director of La Scala in Milan in 1986. The 1990s saw Muti consolidating his reputation at the head of this venerable institution, as well as in countless other high-caliber venues around the world. Today he is one of the undisputed giants among the leading conductors of the world.